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J. Scott Applewhite / AP
In this Jan. 4, 2013, photo, House Speaker John Boehner of Ohio, walks to a strategy session with GOP members, on Capitol Hill in Washington at the start of the first full day of business for the new 113th Congress.
Throughout the 2012 presidential campaign, President Barack Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress confidently predicted that the re-election of the president would break the partisan “fever” they claimed had enveloped Washington and the Republican Party.
But the weeks since the election have found Republicans as dogged as ever in their resistance to Obama, whose initiatives – including gun control, immigration reform and efforts to boost renewable energy – still face an uncertain path forward, particularly in an unruly House of Representatives still controlled by a Republican majority. Republicans are signaling a willingness to go to great lengths to bend coming battles in their favor, especially versus a White House whom they view as just as unflinching in its views, if not more so.
“I believe if we're successful – when we’re successful in this election – the fever may break. My hope and my expectation is that after the election, now that it turns out the goal of beating Obama doesn’t make much sense because I’m not running again,” Obama said at an event on June 1. “We can start getting some cooperation again, and we’re not going to have people raising their hands and saying – or refusing to accept a deal where there’s $10 of cuts for every dollar of tax increases, but that people will accept a balanced plan for deficit reduction.”
That was an expectation the Obama administration carried all the way through the campaign; Vice President Joe Biden said on MSNBC just days before Election Day: “I think you’re going to see the fever break.”
President Obama nominated Chuck Hagel to defense secretary on Monday, January 7, 2013. The Morning Joe panel -- including the Council on Foreign Relations' Richard Haass and Dan Senor -- discusses why several top GOP lawmakers are having a tough time with the president's nomination.
But the just-finished fight over the fiscal cliff suggested that, if anything, Republicans are more entrenched than ever before. While Obama ultimately won the income tax rate increases on the wealthy, on which the president campaigned, it wasn’t until Republicans had exhausted every feasible move that they relented to Obama’s demand. And even then, it wasn’t until the U.S. had gone over the fiscal cliff – if only for a matter of hours – that Congress agreed to act, passing the bill in the House with mostly Democratic votes.
Debt limit a 'point of leverage'
But Obama might be mistaken to assume his toughest fights with congressional Republicans are behind him. While Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell’s vow to make Obama a one-term president is now moot, Republicans appear as emboldened as ever to both battle with the administration and keep true to their the ideological conservatism that a large number in the party represent.
The temporary fiscal cliff deal sets up a series of potentially more contentious battles this spring over continuing government funding and authorizing more borrowing authority for the government. And top Republicans are now openly discussing options, like a government shutdown, that they had taken every pain to disavow in 2011.
"It may be necessary to partially shut down the government in order to secure the long-term fiscal well being of our country," Texas Sen. John Cornyn, Republicans' No. 2 in the Senate, wrote last week in the Houston Chronicle. "President Obama needs to take note of this reality and put forward a plan to avoid it immediately."
The government will reach its debt limit next month, and unless Congress raises the debt ceiling, the U.S. will default on 40 percent of its obligations. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md., explains what will happen to the economy, if the U.S. defaults.
And House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, called the debt limit fight "one point of leverage" in an interview with the Wall Street Journal; a Politico report, also published Monday, suggested the House speaker was more circumspect about the possibility of defaulting on the national debt. In 2011, Boehner stressed at every turn that defaulting on the U.S. debt was not an option.
Senate Republicans’ budget chief was more explicit: “I think it should be a firm principle that we should not raise the debt ceiling until we have a plan on how the new borrowed money will be spent,” Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions told the Washington Examiner on Tuesday.
If Obama was hoping there were more deals to be had on taxes, too, Republicans all but tried to slam the door on such an idea.
“We’ve resolved the tax issue now. It’s over. It’s behind us,” McConnell said Sunday on “Meet the Press.”
Fight over defense secretary
And those are only the spending fights; other clashes are already taking shape.
Former Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., whom Obama nominated to be the next secretary of defense, appears likely to face strong Republican resistance in the Senate.
Obama has also suggested that he’s willing to dive headlong – and quickly – into battles over comprehensive immigration reform and gun control, fights which could only threaten to intensify hostilities between the White House and congressional Republicans (and put some moderate Democrats in a tough spot politically in the meanwhile).
The president’s second-term initiatives could fall victim to the same fever that killed the DREAM Act, cap-and-trade legislation, the Employee Free Choice Act and the “public option” in health care reform during his first term.
“There will be plenty of time to take a look at their recommendations once they come forward,” McConnell said Sunday of Obama’s hope for quick action on curbing gun violence. “What’s going to dominate Washington for the next three months here is going to be spending and debt.”
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This business of the party not being in power is the opposition has definitely been taken too far! The Republican party has become narrow minded and vision poor. I listened to X-Rep Armney from Texas today from the TeaParty and he also doesn't get it. Why on earth does your party still go after the social issues that are so fracturing our nation? It is said the Republican Party/TeaParty want less government and lower spending. Yet, even in their platforms and campaign rhetoric they go after abortion/marriage equality/unions/ to name a few. What part of that is less government? The 8 years of GW was a massive spend of wars not paid for, medicare phramacy bill not paid for/ taxes lowered......and can anyone say the Homeland Agency? That has massively increased the cost of government including more staff. But all I hear is that it is Obama's fault. This business of deficits............on and on. Our nations GDP is so high, that it could be wiped out in a few year with folks having jobs. It is said that medicare is going broke. NO it is NOT. There is money in it that will take care of the baby boomers. Then, you do know, that we, the baby boomers will die. And with that the cost to the government if we stay on course will be far less. The generations after us will have money in the fund to take care of themselves. As I see it, the republicans are going political and not for the nation. It is all about winning and stomping on the other side. The are a chorus of cuckoos waiting for their time. I do hope as others have mentioned.........stay on this track and the Repubs will find themselves on the outside looking in. And those who think Obama is an idiot.........look in the mirror my friend. His election numbers are far higher than you want to admit and making history. I don't always agree with the people..........but this time they got it right.
Someone's got to be the grown up and take the overdrawn checkbook away as much as possible. God knows Obama isn't!
The Pantload Award goes to Obama on this one. $10 of cuts for every $1 of tax increase? lol - WTF - where's that deal? It hasn't touched the lips of Obama let alone been proposed. What a crock.
The GOP has become the Sadist Party. It advocates (someone else's) pain. It starts wars someone else fights. It threatens economic decline to advance an agenda that visits pain on OTHERS while they sell themselves to influence. It answers questions with nonsense and non-logic. It does not see the narrowing of its own constituency as even the most dense followers realize that the patient is sick beyond hope. The GOP refuses to learn, refuses to adhere to the MAJORITY RULES cornerstone of democracy. It holds the Senate hostage. It restrains Congressional voting. It holds the nation in economic hostage. And it may be time to relegate the GOP to the asylum and hope a viable second party, capable of advancing thoughtful, non threatening arguments more useful to the nation, arises to keep constructive discourse alive. Kentucky? Virginia? South Carolina? Are you paying attention?
Wow, now political opposition is considered a "fever", sounds like Germany in 1936.
Yea, but Germany wanted to dominate the world, Obama wants the world to dominate us.
set....
I think you actually have to try to be as stupid as your statement makes you look. So, in your feeble mind, Obama became President to assure the "world dominates us"? Yep, that makes sense.
Put your tin foil hat back on.
logic
He is the first president to have our credit rating downgraded.
Your medical condition can be cured following these simple instructions,
slowly and firmly move head in a rearward manner until clear of obstruction, move head and should in a clockwise motion until coming to a standing upright position, open eyes, surprise daylight. Now don't you feel better.
It's a shame that the credit rating companies, and the world in general, know that the CONGRESS did the downgrade. The Republicans really tried to blame the President. Oops.
set....
Brilliant response......by the way, WHY was the credit downgraded in the first place? Oh yeah, because for the first time, our congress (thanks 112th) actually considered NOT paying bills we've legislated into law.
It's funny, when you clowns see a regular joe on the street who racks up credit card debt and doesn't pay for it, you call him/her a deadbeat......but when you folks advocate NOT raising the debt ceiling, you are doing EXACTLY the same thing as the deadbeat who doesn't pay his bills.
Supposedly you people are "conservative"? Give me a break.
Dr. Logic, it does make sense when you consider that he hates America. He and his "proud of America for the first time" racist wife.
Do yourself a favor and read the history of his childhood and philosophies. While you are at it, do some research on his communist mentor, Frank Marshall Davis. Do you really believe that someone as strong-willed as Obama will do a 180 degree turn from the way they believe and are taught from childhood when they become an adult? I have done enough research and study on Obama's history and comments that he has made, as well as from interviews done by people who were closely acquainted with him to know that is emphatically not the case with him. He is a brilliant liar, very adept at hiding who he really is, plain and simple.
But you won't educate yourself. You will just keep believing that Obama is a saint and can do no wrong. Just follow the media like a blind sheep led to the slaughter.
this is like beating a dead horse and talking to people who can't hear but,the previous 8 years of repub trashing of our economy has a lot to do with today's economy,the potus keeps try to climb up a hill that the other side continuously grease,they are so screwed up in your rescumblican party they won't even nominate one of their own for a post in the administration,besides money what other drug are they on?
Ah yes....the martyr complex. YOU know all and we are all blind sheep......you miss one key issue. If the economy is important to you:
GWBush economy: 8 years of the Presidency, 75% of which with complete GOP control.....left office losing 800,000 jobs per month and GDP shrinking at 9% per quarter. Started with a $300 billion surplus and ended with a $1.2 trillion deficit.
Obama economy: 4 years of the Presidency, 50% of which with complete Dem control.....starting his second term with 34 straight months of job growth and over 6 million in that time. GDP is growing at 3.1%. Started with a $1.2 trillion deficit and 2013 is scheduled to have a $900 billion deficit (or 25% lower than what he started with).
Sorry slappy....the proof is in the puddin' as they say. You're speaking in ridiculous platitudes that mean absolutely nothing.
The last I checked the Constitution created a Presidency, Senate, and a House of Representatives. Each one to check and balance the other 2. Seems to me the House is doing it's job. It' weird than when the republican party was the majority party in govt. there were complaints that they weren't listening to the minority. Now when they are minority party (1 House to the Senate and Pres.) they are supposed to capitulate to the majority.
Nothing weird about it. It's called the liberal "my way or the highway" mentality. Liberal "tolerance" at its finest.
Yes, and when the Republicans are once again back in power with a Democratic minority, or perhaps just one chamber of congress, the tables will be reversed and they will once again complain about not having a voice. But, that isn't the real problem. The real problem is that during this last four years the Republican minority in the Senate, and the Republican majority in the House, have come up with new ways to not go about getting the business of government done. Report after report shows these last four years to be incredibly ineffective for Congress. The Congress is at appallingly low poll approval numbers (9% this week) because of this. And, one must wonder if this is the new face of compromise--if this is a lesson that the Democrats will take to task when the poles are reversed. If so, this does not bode well for our form of government.
they are all BUMS in congress and senate,many millionaires just looking for ways to give it to the regular citizens when we wake up in 2014 then we can set this group of crooks at the curb waiting for the trash to be taken away.
Highly unlikely mikevietvet since the vast majority of voters are happy with the candidate from their district/state and unhappy with everyone else's. It will be interesting in 2014 to see if there actually is significant change in the composition of Congress or if it remains my guy/gal is fine it's yours that is the problem.
Cry me a river, Mr. Obama. Get over yourself and maybe the GOP will work with you. You are the most narcissistic President to ever grace the halls of the White House. Grow up and stop acting like a child when you don't get your way.
Boo, effing hoo.
The Republicans didn't get the message, yet.
What are you talking about? And what is he "not getting his way about"?
go back down the basement nutso.
From the article:
I wish the media wouldn't express it as the president "won". It was ultimately a compromise. The resulting bill gave to the Republicans much of what they wanted: Made permanent the Bush tax breaks for the vast majority of Americans. Fixed permanently the AMT (let's hope). Made permanent the tax rates on inheritance income at lower levels than the Democrats would have liked. Killed the payroll tax break that benefited most Americans. The Republicans have done a wonderful job of playing the wronged party here. Yes, there aren't any spending cuts, and those need to be addressed. And they will be. But, the Republicans walked away from this table with a lot of compromise in their favor. I wish that the media would do a better job reporting this, so people would understand that THIS is what compromise looks like.
This was, in my opinion, the best thing (by far) that came out of the fiscal cliff deal. I also think it is the most under-reported. This was a really, really big deal for middle classers.
2014 House : Democrats 350, GOP 85.
Not likely. Have you seen the gerrymandered districts? It will take 56% of the popular vote, to remove the GOP congressmen, in some states.
When we, as a nation, returned 90% of the incumbent politicians to office, we sent them a very clear message. That message was "Nice job guys. We'd like some more of that". And more of that partisan bickering and refusal to compromise is exactly what we will get. We asked for it, and we'll get it! Nice job America!
I think it will be over when a Black man is not President anymore. It's something that still just doesn't sit right with older people and those who are actually from the south, not just someone who moved there. As pleasant as he can act the inexperience of the man shines through. I don't remember Congress being this way before Obama.
Sorry to be racist but it's more a learned trait than inherited.
If House Republicans have a 'fever' then the Democratic Senate and White House have a mental illness.
Being a liberal democrat is a mental illness, LOL
wow what a moron lol you prove why gop is a dieing breed bye bye
I see you're a idiot
If Jesus was a "Republican", there would have never been a feeding of the 5,000.
No, he would have taught them to feed themselves instead.
Somebody has to stand up to King Taxandspend. Obuma (yes that's how I spelled it) is bankrupting this country. He promotes economic slavery to the government, dependency. His policies are a cancer.
Now he is preparing once again the typical knee-jerk progressive simplistic approach to violence: attack the Second Amendment. Like the saying goes, "don't blame me, I voted for Romny/Ryan.
Obuma needs to be impeached!
like Bush and the GOP didn't have anything to do with this mess
Under Bush it was bad, under 0bama it got worse.
the gop certainly have their masters for whom they do their bidding. and in rough times like these we certainly need to use the feds to help keep things moving forward. but on the other side of the coin we need to make sure that we don't go completely crazy! our businesses are still shipping jobs overseas and closing plants here in the usa. now more than ever we need to buy locally made or grown items as much as we can.this activity will have the fastest effect on helping our economy recover. a business that has remained here and builds things here, will hire new people and grow rapidly when the demand for their product increases. when you buy foreign products that only puts more people to work over there. i have found many usa made products but it hasn't been easy. many times the usa product is cheaper then a foreign made one. you know the saying' if you want to build america, buy american!'
Funny but where was linsey grahm a year ago oh ok he was up for election in 2012 and won now you cant get his hateful mug off the tv all the ones you see on tv have already been reelected in 2012 and the 2014 nuts are in hiding. They think americans forget quickly and maybe so but maybe things will be different in 2014.
GOPers,
People will take you seriously about spending cuts when you put something on the table. Right now, the right wing clown show is calling for spending cuts but they REFUSE to say where they should cut. To make matters worse...they control the House of Representatives that is actually supposed to legislate this type of stuff (after all, it IS the Legislative Branch).
You folks are nothing but a bunch of posers. People have caught onto the fact that it is abjectly ludicrous to say you are all about lowering the debt while simultaneously wanting to give huge tax BREAKS to the wealthiest in the country who doesn't need them.
Logic
I don't think you have any.
There are over 26 bills passed by the house sitting on ol Harry's desk that he won't even allow discussion on.
Your theory that they can't talked about, they don't exist is not logic.
set...
Right!!! Those brilliant abortion bills and those "jobs" bills that have been scored to actually LOSE jobs....give me a break.
Obviously, you've been napping these past two years....the 112th congress is officially the least productive of all time. Even with the stupid legislation of renaming buildings considered; they are 400% worse than the famous "do nothing" congress of the 40's.
Hopefully all this bull will be un done in 016, with a Republican as President. Glad I do not pay taxes, how are those tax hike working for you people, and cannot wait until obamacare taxes kick in. You get what you pay/ask for....a socialist President.
doctor.....Cut/stop unemployment benefits after 1 year, stop child tax credits, welfare will be cut once they are all drug tested....that is a start. Stop foriegn aid to countries that hate us. Stop the half a billion dollars a year to planned parenthood. Shall I continue?
idiot your GOP is the one raising ur taxes
VL
So you don't pay taxes? Why do you even care. And for the record my husband and I make more than $250,000 a year and we were just fine with paying a bit more. We're trying to get the country back on track and the GOP is doing nothing but playing games. Games that do nothing but make us look like the Three Stooges. They aren't governing. They most certainly are not doing their job.
rick -
Nope, it's the democrats who voted for the biggest tax increases in the history of the US. The increase is called Obamacare (or the ACA for those of the liberal persuasion). There was only one republican who voted for that travesty, and he was voted out in the very next election.
I can't wait until the idiots who voted to keep Obama in office get hit with those!
vote straight Democrat 2014, lets clean house
not straight dem.you have to remove all the cancer not just a little,these azzholes who are career slugs on our dime all have to go,and that includes dems.give apprentice crooks a chance.
Vote anyone EXCEPT democrat in 2014 - return some sanity to our federal government!
Congress seems to have forgotten that their job is to govern. Each and everything they do is nothing more than political games. I don't think they are even thinking about what's good for the country or us 'little people'. All they seem to care about is 'the game'. And it's pretty clear the American people are realizing it. The question is will Congress realize it before they take the entire country down.
I'm really sick of it. The President won basically a landslide proving that 50+% of the peoplerefer his vision. The members of Congress need to realize it and compromise. I'm not saying rubber stamp everything the President wants but come on!! They can't even wait until confirmation hearings to slam his picks for cabinet positions. While some Dems don't like what he proposes they at least are willing to compromise. The Repubs can't even do that.
Unfortunately with all the gerrymandered House districts it will be hard to get them out and even get in moderate Repubs in. The solution? Pass a law that prevents outside money from coming in to state elections is one thought.
When you see who is in control a bunch of idiots there will never be anything done. First problem is they dont even know what there job is!!!
Simply because 0bama was able to rig the election with the medias help (you listening NBC?) doesn't mean everybody will roll over and do his bidding. That's called Democracy. Something the 0bama administration wished would go away.
The Demoncrats are awake early and ignorant and lost as usual and have no clue as to what our forefathers fought and died for to make this a Republic and get away from the socialist ways of England. And it has become more apparent that the Demoncrats have the absolute opposite view of how to run a government. I guess I can't imagine a people so lost that they think this is the way things should be. America deserves just what it is going to get, I just hope you Demoncrats live long enough to suffer the consequences of your errors in thinking. Ever wonder why the Demoncrats chose a Donkey for their symbol or how one chose to be called the Right and the other the Left??? Or how you can just add a letter to change Democrat??
".. socialist ways of England."
ROFLMAO!
I find it so hard to believe these people can't see what they're doing to this country. There must be a huge paycheck from someone waiting for them. I've been a registered independent all my life and I've voted for both parties. I vote for whom I think will be best for the people and the country.
But I can say that after the last decade or so of watching this GOP party I'll never vote for them again as long as they act like this. They obviously don't care if they're losing voters due to their acts and the lies.
And what are they trying to do Mike? The Republicans. It is truly sad that people like you and liberals cannot see what the democrats are doing to our country. They have led us down a path of bankruptcy and throwing the constitution in the toilet. The democrats including obama, reid, pelosi, have lied to us time after time.
all the dems.did is try and get off the bush path and can you explain what they are doing to the constitution?answer the question quickly or you will miss the bus for school.
Mike no one can deny some Republicans suffer from dogmatism. With that said, the republicans DID concede to tax cuts for the wealthy. That has been done. Additionally a lot of people don't realize or haven't been paying attention to the fact that there are additional tax increases that will impact everyone not just the wealthy. You don't hear much about the expiring payroll tax cut which will impact the middle class.
So here we are without any real action toward "spending" cuts. I tend to put more of the "spending" cut delay on the democrats more so than the republicans.
Well, people. The Republicans are trying to save our country and constitution which is being trashed and ruined by the socialist loving democrats. It was just reported and most of you either did not read it or understand, or do not care that there is an $800 billion shortfall in Social Security that they did not know existed. This means, moving up the insolvency year for SS up by two years. We all know that it will be moved up more, since a good economy was projected. And your "DO NOTHING" democrats who do not even want to talk about this is going to keep bringing granny out and cause SS to go bankrupt. The democrats time after time cause class warfare. obama time after time ignores the constitution and many democrats. The democrat controlled senate under reid has not passed a budget in about 4 years. This is against our laws and if we had an attorney general that was not corrupt, he would throw reid's butt in to jail or prison. Time after time obama and his people have lied to the American people. I am damn glad that the Republicans are trying to be an obstacle to save the United States from the trashing of our country by the democrats and liberals.
the fact remains,obama won and all you racist bastards can't accept that fact and also he didn't steal the election,the people gave it to him,and no i don't collect welfare before you ask,plus i'm white.
NO.. The last election stopped the GOP from destroying our Constitution. Stopped them from telling us who we can marry, what our religion should be, what our family values are supposed to be, and telling us that legitimate rape was acceptable because of GOD.
The Do NOTHING GOP is the one who wants to hold the middle class hostage to corporations. Plain and simple.
There's that word again: "socialism!" Most people have no idea what it actually means but its still fun to throw around. There is no "shortfall" in Social Security; more right-wing scare tactics to keep defense spending high and point the finger elsewhere. Class warfare? Yeah, sure. As far as budgets go, they originate in the House and not the Senate. Thanks for checking in though...
That stupid "Class Warfare" charge by the Republidums makes me laugh every time I hear it. The ONLY class warfare going on is the rich white Republidums trying to squeeze every last penny out of everyone else and trying their best to mingle religion with government.
All the ignorant, rebel-flag-waving trailer park rednecks who vote straight Republidum and are the ones who actually get them into office and will never understand it's the Republidums who are throwing them under the bus time after time.
Progress, people. We need progress to survive as a country. And I'm not just talking about social progress. The narrow minded and one-way financial policies of the Republidums are going to bankrupt you, your grand kids and the country. And the Republidums just don't care. They Republidum party of today can't, and should NOT be trusted, ever.
I try to be neutral and keep an open mind. But we want to hear more from the middle of the road republicans. Why aren't we hearing anything from them? Is it the Far right is more outspoken and the rest tow the party line?
I dismiss Far Left and Far Right policies altogether! These people need to learn they have to compromise, learn that this is whats make the 2 party system work. We cant have the Republicans gone altogether.. voted out completely and have a Democratic majority in both houses and the presidency, that would be worse.. Republicans would just filibuster Everything. We need a balance. but we do not need obstructionists and people whose main goal is to undermine anything done by a sitting president.
Are the constituents in those districts so blind that they cant see what their voice, the people they elected, are doing in Congress and what they are doing to this country?
I could not believe it was even legal for congressmen to make a "Pact" that they would block Every single thing the president wanted, in order for it to look like he failed. Wow what is that?
We are in serious trouble unless the middle of the road congressmen can get together and get a grip on Congress.. maybe it really is time for a Serious Third party? We can have the Far Left nut jobs in one party, the far right nut jobs in a second party, and a third party who actually care about the American people and want to work together to get this country back on track!!
1.The Tea Party
2.The Me Party
3. The Party Of the people.
Who would you vote for?
Sorry, I just tire of seeing the same BS everyday. It seems like Everyone is on a Giant Ego trip and its more important to them that they "win" so they look good instead of trying to win for us, the people that work our asses off. The people who voted for them. They don't care about us anymore, Hmm did they ever even care I wonder?